Tara and Priya had lost their parents when they were mere children. And Shanta Mausi had taken care of them after that. She was unmarried and had no family of her own. So she treated Tara and Priya like her own daughters.
Shanta Mausi knew Tara and Priya had very different personalities. But they were good in their own way too. Tara was devout, idealistic and loved good food. Priya was practical, intelligent and had a quick temper.
Time flew and in no time the girls were old enough to go to college. The Purushotham Maas was around the corner. So Shanta Mausi asked them, “What do you intend to do during the Purushotham Maas girls?” Tara as usual said, “We get a lot of punya by fasting during the Purushotham Maas. So I will fast every day Shanta Mausi. And I love all the farali food that we get to eat whenever we fast. It’s simply yummy.”Priya grinned at her and said, “What’s the point of fasting then Tara? You usually end up overeating, don’t you?”
Tara looked at her with a hurt expression and said, “Well, everyone fasts during the Purushotham Maas. Except for you and Shanta Mausi. Shanta Mausi too gave up fasting only because you forced her not to fast. Our ancestors too have been performing these rituals and fasts. We need to follow certain rituals regularly to connect to God. Only then God will bless us. Isn’t that so, Shanta Mausi?”
Priya looked at her sister angrily and said, “Shanta Mausi is growing old. She needs to eat nutritious food regularly now. And we are in college for the better part of the day. Who will shop for the farali food, cook it separately for you and wash a double load of dishes every day? We need to be practical. And we can connect to God in so many different ways Tara. Frankly, I prefer tutoring a couple of orphans instead of following such rituals. What do you say, Shanta Mausi?”
Shanta Mausi sighed with a smile and said, “Stop arguing girls. It’s time for you to go to college now. Let’s discuss this in the night.” Priya glared at Tara angrily and walked out of the house in a huff. They did not speak a single word to each other that whole day.
That night when Shanta Mausi, Priya and Tara were sitting on their verandah, Tara spoke up first and said, “Was I wrong this morning Mausi? I didn’t realize I was fasting at the expense of your time, money and effort. Things are quite expensive these days and you work for long hours in the kitchen to put together a simple meal. I’m sure you must be feeling tired. I’m sorry I never realized all this. I too will stop fasting from now on….”
Shanta Mausi pats Tara’s shoulders and says, “Don’t say that Tara. I don’t know whether you are right or Priya is. Who can answer such questions? Yes, fasting is good for our immune system and people do say we get a lot of punya when we fast especially during the Purushotham Maas.
Why, there is a story associated with all our Ekadashis too. All those wonderful stories reveal such lovely insights that we can apply in our lives. And faith gives us a lot of internal strength and helps us cope with our challenges. So don’t feel guilty about Priya’s words.”
Tara said, “But what Priya says is also right, isn’t it?”
Shanta Mausi clasps Priya’s hands in hers and says, “Again, I don’t know if Priya is right. What I do know is that both of you can make one small change in your lives during the Purushotham Maas.
Priya, it’s nice of you to tutor those two orphaned girls every day. But I often see you losing your temper during your tuition classes. Sometimes you even punish the poor girls. Just keep this in mind. Everyone is not as intelligent as you are. Some children take longer to grasp some concepts. You need to be more patient and understanding with them. Only then can you connect to the God that resides within them.
Tara you are following the tried and tested way of connecting to God but remember fasting is about practising self-control. Not eating yummy different food every day. And yes, every ritual that you observe involves a lot of time, energy and money too. Keep this in mind. So do help us with the chores from now on.
And Priya is practising self-control by controlling her desires. I’m sure she too loves the farali food that we cook. But she doesn’t eat it because she feels she is troubling me.
But Priya, it is very important to respect the spiritual beliefs of others. We may not always understand their beliefs. But that does not mean we can ridicule them or their beliefs. And also keep this one thing in mind – don’t impose your beliefs on others.
Yes, you were right about one thing. I should not fast at this age considering the health issues that I keep experiencing. But you should not stop Tara from fasting either. And Tara, you need to respect Priya’s beliefs too. There is no point in following all the rituals meticulously if the essence is lost and it comes at the cost of others’ time, effort and money.
Right now we are on a tight budget. But we can manage to cook farali food for you Tara. So don’t worry about money for now. Okay? Now drop your argument and move on with faith in our hearts. Purushotham Bhagawan will take care of the rest.
Well, Tara and Priya were sisters after all. So they patched up and forgot about their argument before the Purushotham Maas began. During the Purushotham Maas Tara helped Shanta Mausi and Priya with the chores. And Priya stopped criticizing Tara for fasting and was more patient and understanding with her students. And Shanta Mausi finally got the time to read all the Purushotham Maas stories during the Purshotham Maas.
Please click here to read more Adhik Maas stories for children.